Fleurty Girl founder Lauren Haydel can’t imagine opening one of her New Orleans-centric shops in a market that doesn’t have a connection to her hometown. “And I can’t replicate it unless I truly have a love for the place,” she said.

Lauren is so fond of Bay St. Louis that she and her family recently bought a house here, and a small office building at 201 Main Street.

On Monday, Fleurty Girl closed the sale on 216 Main Street. That historic building currently houses California Drawstrings, another women-owned, New Orleans-born business (CD owner Linda Keenan will remain at this until the end of the year). ​

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“It’s always good for a city when people fall in love with it and want to live there and open a business,” Haydel said. Bay St. Louis will be the eighth Fleurty Girl location and the first outside Louisiana. Opening is set for fall of 2020.Fleurty Girl is known for New Orleans-inspired merchandise that includes clothing for the whole family, home accessories, gifts and jewelry tied to Mardi Gras, the Saints, seafood and other local iconic connections.

Lauren Haydel photo courtesy Fleurty Girl

Lauren was a single mother of three when she used a $2,000 tax refund to get her online t-shirt business off the ground. Now she has locations in New Orleans, Mandeville, Kenner, Metairie and Gretna.Lauren said Cicada, a New Orleans architecture firm, is working on plans to renovate and improve the retail space as well as the two residential units in the building. Lauren says she’ll also have a "she shed" on the property to use as a pop-up venue.
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Haydel joined in last Saturday’s annual Witches Walk festivities, which drew hundreds of costumed celebrants to Old Town’s shops, restaurants and bars.

“It was awesome,” she said, adding that the new Fleurty Girl will be another draw for Old Town events. “I can’t wait to be a part of that,” she said.Fleurty Girl will have six employees at the Main Street store. Anyone interested in applying can send an email to hireme@fleurty.net. Put BSL in the subject line.

Editor's note: While theCalifornia Drawstringslocation on Main Street will close after the first of the year, the flagship location that’s been operating at 812 Royal Street in the French Quarter since 1984 will remain open.

California Drawstrings owner Linda Keenan says she's going to take some time off to travel after the first of the year, but after that, she'll be considering opening a smaller location in the Bay-Waveland-Pass area.

Veteran reporter Lisa Monti writes and edits for the Shoofly Magazine, and also maintains her own blog! Check it out and sign up here.

After three months of being closed to water contact due to an algal bloom, Mississippi's beaches are now open again for all activities.

-story and photos by Ellis Anderson

On Friday, October 4, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued a long-awaited statement: It's O.K. to splash, wade and swim again at all Mississippi beaches.

According to the press release, water contact warnings were lifted for all 21 sand beach segments, as well as the four nonstandard segments that were issued on August 6. Water contact warnings were also lifted for Pass Christian Harbor, Long Beach Harbor and Bay St. Louis Harbor.

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Water samples collected on October 2 and tested for Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) toxicity, were "all below the EPA guidelines of eight parts per million."

"According to the National Park Service, there has been no observed evidence of the algae bloom impacting the barrier islands of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. All beaches in the park are currently open. In addition, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resource’s sampling indicates that recreational and commercial fishing off-shore in Mississippi waters remains unaffected by the algal bloom and is safe for consumption."

Nikki Moon is president of Coastal Mississippi's Board of Commissioners, which oversees the promotion of the three coastal counties as a regional tourism and convention destination. Moon is also president of the Hancock Chamber and owner of the Bay Town Inn in historic Bay St. Louis.

Moon notes that the timing couldn't be better - Cruisin' the Coast - the region's largest event - officially begins this week.

We couldn’t have received better news to welcome this years cruisers," said Moon. "Let’s replace those red flags with “welcome to our beaches!"
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Also the beaches along Mississippi's coast have technically remained open to sun-bathing, walking and other activities, water-contact warnings issued on June 23, have prevented people and pets from wading or swimming in the waters.

Seasonal HABs have been common in other parts of the country for years, especially the Lake Erie area, but this is the first time they've shut down Mississippi beaches.

To ease the threat of flooding along the lower Mississippi River earlier in the year, Louisiana's Bonne Carre spillway was opened, allowing that nutrient-rich “fresh” water to pour into Lake Ponchartrain and directly out into the Mississippi Sound.

​The river water changed the natural salinity of the lake and the Sound, providing a fertile environment for the cyanobacteria to grow. For more in-depth information read FAQs About Mississippi Sound Algal Bloom, The Shoofly Magazine published on July 12.

However, some experts are predicting that HABs could become a regular occurrence if massive Mississippi River diversion projects continue in Louisiana. The projects, pitched to help re-silt the river's eroding delta, divert Mississippi River water directly into the Mississippi Sound - much like the opening of the Bonne Carré spillway did this year. ​

"We celebrate the reopening of the beaches," said McDonald. "But we're going to have to work to keep them that way. It's going to take all of us pulling together. "

Another group that believes the diversion project will be disastrous for the Mississippi Gulf Coast is Gulf Coast Resource Coalition. The group is making a presentation before the Hancock County Board of Supervisors at their October 7 meeting and again at the Bay St. Louis City Council meeting on October 8, starting at 5:30pm.